Reporters Without Borders (RSF) : "Blogs get people excited. Or else they disturb and worry them. Some people distrust them. Others see them as the vanguard of a new information revolution. Because they allow and encourage ordinary people to speak up, they’re tremendous tools of freedom of expression. Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Only they provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.

Reporters Without Borders has produced this handbook to help them, with handy tips and technical advice on how to to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation. It also explains how to set up and make the most of a blog, to publicise it (getting it picked up efficiently by search-engines) and to establish its credibility through observing basic ethical and journalistic principles."

Create a blog with RSF!

Captain Iraq was found over here!

Click picture for the bigger version. More at Etsy

Via cinematze

Lesenswerter Kommentar von Elke Heidenreich in der FAZ: "Man will Hollywood sein und ist Köln-Ossendorf"

Reich-Ranicki selbst in der FAZ: "und zwischendurch immer wieder Köche, nichts als Köche. Es war schrecklich."

The Beat Generation (Part 2)

America, remember your roots!

Start here: BBC Newsnight journalist Greg Palast goes on the trail of the missing votes from Colorado to New Mexico to Michigan. Broadcast on BBC Newsnight UK and America.

Have a look at the other videos and subscribe to GregPalastOffice, nerds!

PBS Independent Lens: "At the 1968 Democratic National Convention, anti-Vietnam War protestors who were denied permits for demonstrations repeatedly clashed with the Chicago Police Department. Tensions mounted, and an already fraught week culminated in riots broadcast live to a television audience of more than 50 million, further polarizing the nation. Illustration: Abbie Hoffman, his hair wild and mouth open, faces the viewer. In the background, two men are dragging Bobby Seale out of the courtroom as several people look on.

Seeking a scapegoat for the riots, the U.S. government held eight of the most vocal activists accountable for the violence and brought them to trial a year later. Brett Morgen's CHICAGO 10 presents contemporary history with a forced perspective, mixing animation with archival footage and a dramatic soundtrack. This innovative film showcases original animation voiced by actors, including Jeffrey Wright, Hank Azaria, Mark Ruffalo, Nick Nolte and Liev Schrieber, and explores the explosive build-up to—and the eventual unraveling of—the Chicago Conspiracy Trial."

Trailer:

Realism achieved! I've never seen a toy with so many details.

More pictures over here: Actionnooz.com - Amazing Joker Action Figure

From Dark Roasted Blend's most excellent feature Most Ridiculous Things to Do with Superheroes

HEUTE IN BREMEN!!! Demnächst wieder live in der Berliner Bar jeder Vernunft. Guckste MySpace. Da steht alles, alles.

Lars Rudolph erzählt nochmals schnell wie alles begann: Ole meinte :"Lars Rudolph du musst bei uns singen." -- "Ole kannte mich irgendwie von früheren Bands-" Also da spielte KAPAIKOS auf der Hochzeit von Wir sind Helden, und ich war nur so da als Gast.

Und denn ditte: Kapaikos feat. Lars Rudolph vor geraumer Zeit im "Bang Bang Club".

Auch gut: MANN UND MAUS - Download the free MP3s at Last.FM!

Kleene Hörprobe: Mann und Maus – Schmerzen

(Foto da oben von Christian Jungeblodt)

Lots of great photos over here!

(c) by thedayhascome

Via Telepolis

And they're better, meaner and funnier than ever. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg raping Indiana Jones, that has to be the best comment on the current state of culture since, eh, since the last season of "South Park".....

Watch all episodes for free over here!

Remember the year 2000? Lex Luthor was president in the universe that Superman and his buddies live in. The storyline was more realistic than Sarah Palin becoming....

Wikipedia: "Deciding to turn to politics, Luthor becomes President of the United States, winning the election on a platform of promoting technological progress. His first action as president was to take a proposed moratorium on fossil-based fuels to the U.S. Congress. Luthor is assisted by the extreme unpopularity of the previous administration's mishandling of the Gotham City earthquake crisis. After six months, Gotham is restored and rejoins America. Ironically, Batman ultimately learns that the entire debacle was the fault of Luthor alone as he attempted to take control of Gotham by forging deeds for the land in his name, which results in Bruce Wayne severing all commercial ties between the U.S. government and his company, Wayne Enterprises, in protest of Luthor's election as President. Luthor responds in turn by arranging for the murder of Wayne's lover, Vesper Fairchild, and framing Wayne for the murder. (...) A cadre of superheroes eventually break ranks from the Justice League to oppose Luthor. Batman, who had previously forbade any attempt to unseat Luthor from office by force, led the storming of the White House. This was predicated by an attempt on Luthor's part to link Superman to a kryptonite asteroid that is hurtling toward Earth."

"Robert Downey Jr. has publicly thanked Burger King for helping him overcome his problems with addiction. The fast food chain, he says, also helped to resurrect his career.

The fast food epiphany happened in 2003 when the "Iron Man" star was driving a car piled with "tons of f---ing dope," Downey Jr. told Britain's Empire magazine. The actor decided to pull over for a burger and everything changed.

"I have to thank Burger King," he said. "It was such a disgusting burger I ordered. I had that, and this big soda, and I thought something really bad was going to happen." Downey Jr. says he then tossed all of his drugs into the ocean, deciding right then and there to clean up his act.

Downey Jr. hints that a fateful moment in "Iron Man," when his character Tony Stark requests a cheeseburger from Burger King after being released from his captors, is a reference to his own experiences."

Story copied from NY Daily News: "

Even Superman will vote in the elections 2008. A new comic series deals with the real political views of DC Comics' fictional supericons.

From an Newsarama Interview: DAN DIDIO ON DCU: DECISIONS

"Dan DiDio: We’re entering a very interesting election year this year, and what I think is important about it is that it’s that there’s this excitement – a sense of “building”…there’s change in the air in regards to the whole political process that’s at play in the United States. What we want to do is tap into that emotion, and tell a story that plays in the DC Universe with our characters, while using the political backdrop we’re seeing now to help to define our characters better. (...) For the first time, we’ll be having our characters make true political stands in regards to their leanings, as well as what motivates them to be heroes, and what they believe is necessary for their world and their country to move in the direction they believe to be the right one. That’s the larger story.

NRAMA: What’s the inciting incident here? DD: An assassin in the midst of the heroes that’s basically trying to disrupt and destroy the entire political process. In the opening sequence of the story, there is an assassination attempt on one of the candidates, which brings several of the heroes into the fold once they realize the scope of the conspiracy and more importantly, the impact that it would have on the government and the country. As the heroes are motivated and start to react to the assassination attempts, they start to express their own political beliefs, and start to discuss amongst themselves the importance of the process, and their role in the process. (...) NRAMA: So, as in our world, the platforms of the candidates end up touching everyone’s lives in one way or another, that’s not different in a world with superheroes – most likely the platforms mention or include superheroes. DD: Right. And just like in our world, there are moderate beliefs, there are conservative beliefs, there are liberal beliefs. There are Republicans and Democrats. The process and what the various political beliefs and parties stand for remain the same. We’ll be exploring those beliefs as they exist within the DC Universe."

(DCU - Decisions - Mini Series, Cover of #3, DC Comics)

Awesome! Get it here! Sam Jackson got one already!

Nice for nerds: Superwallpapers by Alex Ross

"The Savage Dragon" is a cop and a superhero. For some reason he looks like a dragon...

Themoment.com "Artist Erik Larsen is pleased with his story, which will mention Obama, though the senator will not make an appearance in the issue. 'He’s not slugging bad guys or anything like that — although that would be cool,' Larsen says. The comic does, however, include McCain supporters. But don’t be confused. Savage Dragon definitely leans Democrat — a cover dating back to the last presidential campaign showed Mr. Dragon taking a swing at President Bush."

Ha, ha, funny! Happy 25th Anniversary!

Brilliant show! Brilliant Paul Whitehouse. Highly recommended!

Chris Langham plays Peter, a psychotherapist who's clients are all played by Paul Whitehouse.

The dvd seems to be sold out, but all 6 episodes are available on YouTube.

Reminds me a lot of "Stadt in Angst" by The Soulcage Department...

"2005 OSCARS for Best Short Animation

Ryan is based on the life of Ryan Larkin, a Canadian animator who, 30 years ago, produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. In the film, we hear the voices of prominent animators and artists discussing Ryan's work, and from waitresses, mission-house caretakers and homeless people who make up Ryan's life. These voices speak through strange, twisted, and disembodied, computer-generated characters--which combine to reflect the film's creator, Chris Landreth. In the words of Anais Nin, "We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are."

More about this film at National Film Board Canada

Interesting story in The Guardian about the financial crisis: The party's over for Iceland, the island that tried to buy the world

Tomek Baginski (born January 10, 1976, Białystok) is a BAFTA Award-winning Polish artist and animator, best known for his Oscar-nominated short movie, The Cathedral (2002). For his newest short, Fallen Art (2004), he received a BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation and Grand Prix for Digital Shorts at Golden Horse Film Festival 2005.

Enjoy!

Fallen Art:

The Cathedral:

UNDO:

Bonus: The Witcher - Trailer for the videogame

Here's a comic you can download, by Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., called STEAL BACK YOUR VOTE. Palast has been at the forefront of the fight against voter suppression, ever since breaking the story of Florida and the 2000 voter supression, and again in 2004 with the scrub lists. The book has art by Ted Rall, Lloyd Dangle, and Lukas Ketner.

From the site: "StealBackYourVote.org is a project of the Palast Investigative Fund (a 501c3 non-partisan non-profit educational foundation), Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. With the generous support of voting rights and other organizations and concerned individuals, we are aggressively investigating the hanky-panky Republicans have already road-tested in the primaries, and are prepared to use this November to steal YOUR vote. The good news is, you CAN steal back your vote. Kennedy and Palast are publishing a major expose in a mass-circulation national magazine. The Palast Investigative Team is heading to the Democratic convention to finish a documentary film. And three major cartoonists have teamed up to illustrate the "Steal Back Your Vote" graphic guide that you can download, print and distribute now."

About Greg Palast: "The most important investigative reporter of our time" [Tribune Magazine] "The top investigative journalist in the United States is persona non grata in his own country's media." [Asia Times.] "Doggedly independent, undaunted by power. His stories bite, they're so relevant they threaten to alter history" -Chicago Tribune Twisted and maniacal" -Katherine Harris "We hate that sonuvabitch." -The White House

Hey, spongospongo.net, I just ffffound this!

On the Passage of a few People through a Rather Brief Moment in Time: The Situationist International 1956-1972

A video documentary combining exhibition footage of the Situationist International exhibitions with film footage of the 1968 Paris student uprising, and graffiti and slogans based on the ideas of Guy Debord (one of the foremost spokesmen of the Situationist International movement). Also includes commentary by leading art critics Greil Marcus, Thomas Levine, and artists Malcolm Mac Laren and Jamie Reid. Branka Bogdanov, Director and producer. NTSC-VHS 22 min. 1989

Part 2 and Part 3

From a show at Friedrich Petzel Gallery and a project by artists Phillipe Parreno and Rirkrit Tiravanija.

"A group of 5 puppets in the likenesses of Philippe Parreno, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Pierre Hughye, Liam Gillick, and Hans Ulrich Obrist. This is part of an ongoing project in that the artists plan to use these characters for further scenarios in the future."

• Wie aus dem Gesicht geschnitten! Nur bei Monsieur Parreno fehlt die Zigarette!

Apropos Fußball, den Film "Zidane" von Philippe Parreno und Douglas Gordon gibt es für 'nen 10er bei den 11 Freunden. Die Süddeutsche wies bereits darauf hin, dass man im Anbetracht der atemberaubenden Preise, die Videowerke dieser Herren sonst so erzielen, beim Kauf der DVD mindestens 490.000 Ocken sparen kann.